The Inveralmond Brewery

Tuesday, 22 February 2011

February sees the launch of a completely new Inveralmond beer. Duncan’s IPA (inspirational pale ale) is named after our head brewer whose name adorns the pump clip of all our seasonal beers.

In Duncan’s IPA Ken has produced a celebration of our brewing heritage. In years gone by an extra strong pale hoppy beer was brewed to undergo the long and arduous journey to India to quench the thirst of the troops stationed there. Our beer is lower in ABV (at 4.4%) but still reflects this traditional style in a contemporary way. Commenting on the launch of Duncan’s IPA, MD Fergus Clark said ‘this is the first completely new beer we have launched for a while now and brings a classic IPA to our new seasonal range. Ken has again managed to create sublime taste and quality in a beer we believe we are right to call inspirational.’

The Inveralmond Beer Club will be introduced to beer drinkers across the land and beyond over the next few weeks. Designed to inform and educate our customers about our beers, it also serves as a way of telling people where our beers are available in both the on-trade and the off-trade. If you would like further information about the Beer Club then please get in touch with us in the usual ways. Furthermore, if you would like to discuss ways of publicising your pub through the Beer Club then also please get in touch.

Cask beer sales in Scotland have been growing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the UK. Albeit from a small base, the graph shows cask sales have rocketed up over the last few years. That said, Scotland still punches below its weight when it comes to the ‘propensity’ to drink cask conditioned beers. In other words, Scotland accounts for 8% of the British population but only 4% of cask beer sales. In contrast, people in the south and east of England account for 19% of the total population but 24% of cask sales.

So there is still a lot to go for in Scotland. More and more pubs are trying cask beer as a way to tempt in new customers, and those customers are more willing to try locally produced quality beers. Demand is growing and supply needs to keep up. It is also true to say that cask beer is being drunk by more people in more pubs but that a lack of knowledge or information remains the biggest barrier to trial. Improving that knowledge is of paramount importance.

This drawing is of a new 60bbl fermenter which is to be installed in the brewery very shortly.

Almost exactly 12 months after the first brew was undertaken at our ‘new’ brewery we are pleased to say that we need to expand our brewing capacity still further.

The addition of the 60bbl facility will give us more options in terms of new product development and finished beer storage.In practical terms this reduces the likelihood of beer being out of stock and helps us manage the peaks and troughs of demand.All of this has the ultimate aim of improving customer service.

The tank, which is being manufactured in Hungary, should arrive before the end of March and will be fully operational shortly thereafter.

‘Craft-brewed keg beer’ is a term which may become more apparent over the next few weeks and months as more craft brewers launch brewery-conditioned or kegged beers in a bid to attract premium beer drinkers to a newly defined category.

Beer drinkers are prepared to pay more for supposed ‘premium’ beers from ‘overseas’. It seems sensible therefore to attract them to a growing number of quality keg beers produced here in Scotland by their local craft brewer.

Cask conditioned beer consumption is growing and looks set to continue to grow.However, craft brewers must continually assess how the market is moving... and craft-brewed keg beer may offer options in the trade.Watch this space!

Our brewery ‘tap’ is now open for bookings.If you have a meeting, presentation or club night to organise and are looking for something that wee bit different get in touch.We shall send out our information sheet and booking form.This form allows you to select from a varietyof different options and ranges from £6 for a tour and tasting to £35 a head for a tour, tasting, food and a take away pack of beer and other goodies.

We have taken our first tentative steps into the world of YouTube by setting up our own ‘channel’. There are a few videos on the site so why not go and have a look. The keyword is ‘InveralmondBeer’. Be warned... we’ve just started!

A growing number of our customers are opting for a ‘house beer’ as part of their offer to their customers. At The Inveralmond Brewery we offer a full house brand development service which includes pump clip artwork development and manufacture. Of course, the artwork can encompass elements of imagery from your own pub or hotel. Whether it be a simple logo (as in The Town clip on the left) or a painting of the pub as in The Cherrybank’s anniversary ale, if you supply the images we can adapt it to a pump clip. The beer supplied is a 4.2% ale in 9g only. It has hints of forest fruits with a floral spice on the nose back up with a biscuity malt palate. The customer reaction is without exception one of delight, so get in touch if you are interested.

Thursday, 18 November 2010

This Christmas, for the first time, Santa’s Swallie will be available in 12x500ml bottle cases. Supplies have already been sent to the USA, Canada and Switzerland, and initial UK orders have been leaving the brewery since late October. As this product is not available in any of the major UK multiple grocers we are getting a lot of interest from the specialist trade and wholesalers. At a delivered list price of £17.25 (ex-VAT) and an RRP of £2.29 there is solid margin to be made from what is already a successful beer in draught. At time of going to press we have made the decision to go ahead with a second bottling run, such has been the demand. If you would like any further information please get in touch with us.

The latest Cask Report for 2010 shows the cask ale share of total on-premise beer sales continuing to grow.

As the chart here shows, cask ale now accounts for over 15% of pub beer sales. In the total beer market (i.e. including off-premise sales) cask ale accounts for almost 8% of sales, a third consecutive year of growth.

Cask beer sales in pubs is now at its highest level for a decade and represents almost half of all ale sold. This upward trend looks set to continue as more beer consumers switch to cask. Remember that almost two thirds of UK beer drinkers have never tried cask ale, but when they do 45% convert to drinking it. That is a huge untapped market waiting to be convinced to try cask beer!

To coincide with the ‘relaunch’ of our seasonal beer range we have redesigned our brand information sheets. Each sheet contains important facts about the ingredients, taste profile and formats. The seasonal beers also feature a calendar to ensure our customers are aware beer availability. If you would like some of the sheets, or further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. Alternatively the sheets can be downloaded in PDF format from our web site: www.inveralmond-brewery.co.uk.

This picture shows some of the first happy suppers at our brewery bar. The bar will be used as part of brewery tours and will double up as an off-licence when required. It will also be the centre piece of trade hospitality activity. Although not open to the public as a bar per se, the Brewery Tap will be available to hire to groups such as Round Tables, clubs and associations to hold meetings or general socials. Give us a call if you are interested.

Our successful Christmas beer has been relaunched as part of the work we undertook on the seasonal range of beers. Santa's Swallie is a fine example of the tradition of brewing Christmas beers that was once prevalent in the UK and is still very popular in other Northern European countries. The word ‘yule' is derived from 'ale' as beer was used to celebrate the winter solstice throughout the years.

It is pleasing to note that Christmas beers are starting to make a strong comeback in the UK. They offer the beer drinker something a wee bit ‘special’ at a time of year when beer often plays second fiddle to other, sometimes more sickly Christmas drinks.

Santa’s Swallie is a dark copper coloured Christmas beer, traditionally hopped with Fuggles and a hint of seasonal nutmeg and cinnamon. There is a subtle spicy warmth to the finish, and the beer is robust enough to be the perfect accompaniment to the rich food associated with the time of year. Tasting notes are available should you need them. Just get in touch with the brewery and we will post or e-mail some to you.

Monday, 4 October 2010

Sharon at Hot Chocolates in Edinburgh is using Lia Fail to make luxurious fresh chocolates. Launched last month and featured in The List, the chocolates are available mail order from the following web address. We haven't tried them yet, but our mouths are watering!

Monday, 6 September 2010

As mentioned in the last edition of Brewhouse News, the seasonal beer range of The Inveralmond Brewery had undergone a major overhaul. This overhaul included redesigns for old favourites, new beers, and the restitution of beers that we have brewed in the past. Pundie is one of the latter and we are please to say the beer will be available in October this year.

Pundie is a measure of beer that used to be given free to brewery workers on certain days of the year. Traditionally a strong beer, the name gave rise to the colloquial term for a brewery: a pundie-house. This term is turn was mashed into the word booze!

Ken Duncan, our Head Brewer, describes the beer as ‘a great burnished copper strong ale. The malty palate is finely balanced with Saaz hops to give a full flavoured yet refreshing beer’. We also like to say that Pundie is Scots for a guid strong ale. We all hope you will agree. The beer will be available in 9g and 18g cask, and 30l keg. A very limited number of 4.5g casks will also be made available on a first come first served basis. Once they are gone, they’re gone.

The Incas and some Pacific Island cultures used spit to ferment their beer. Beer or Chicha was very important for Inca festivals. They had large breweries devoted to making enough of the stuff. The recipe went something like this: take a large vat of water and let it warm up in the sun. Get a large group of women to chew corn until it is a pulp in their mouths. The women then spit the pulp into the vat of warm water and let it sit for a few weeks. Then simply strain the lumpy, cloudy mixture and it’s ready to serve. So the next time you try a strange foreign brew... think on!

Fergus & Ken took the train to London to attend the Great British Beer Festival at Earl’s Court. Unfortunately, despite Ossian getting to the finals, there were no major prizes this year, but it was a good opportunity to meet up with customers from home and overseas and there is always next year! Just getting to the finals is a major feather in the cap for Ossian and one further step may mean glory! Fingers crossed for 2011!

Although sometimes accused of being comedians no-one from the brewery has yet trod the boards as a thespian or stand up. Our drayman John can belt out a canny version of any Proclaimers track, but even he has stopped short of putting on a show at the Edinburgh Festival. Luckily, our beer has been starring in a few pubs in the centre of Edinburgh and Festival-goers have been able to quench their thirst on not only our classic collection, but also on a beer brand only made available at Festival time: Festival Frolics. This is a bit of fun for a few weeks of the year and is intended to give our customers that wee point of difference in their beer offer.

In the last edition of Brewhouse News we stated that we were considering bottling Santa’s Swallie. Well, we have stopped considering and started doing because the bottling is completed and the first orders, primarily for export, are in.

This is a new venture for us. In draught, Santa’s Swallie has grown in popularity every year we made it available. In bottle the initial reaction from customers has been good with orders being fulfilled for North America, Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. The take-up in the UK is going to be vital, so if you are interested please get in touch.

Christmas beers are growing in popularity in the UK. The word ‘yule' is derived from 'ale' as beer was used to celebrate the winter solstice throughout the years. Look out for the next Brewhouse News for a preview of the revamped draught pump clip.

Many of our customers ask about ‘house’ beer. What is it? How does it work? In a nutshell we create a ‘brand’ in conjunction with a pub or club from which a pump clip and other promotional material is created. We then supply beer in the normal way. The liquid supplied is generally a 4.2% ABV ale which has been brewed to appeal to as wide a beer drinking population as possible. This is made available in 9g, 18g and, where appropriate , 30l kegs. The latter format tends to appeal to sports’ clubs and the like and also those outlets whose staff are maybe not used to handling cask beer. House ale customers range from small pubs to major groups... so it must be something worth considering.

John Nolan, the capo of our Italian distributors is the proud father to newly born twins. Everyone at the brewery sends their warmest congratulations to John and his wife. He was also telling us that bottled Ossian is available on the pavement cafes looking out on the Coliseum in Rome. Ken is musing over this in his column, but it got us thinking of a competition: send in your photos of Ossian at significant landmarks around the world and we shall publish the best or most unusual ones in Brewhouse News. There will be a prize of a case of Ossian for the picture judged by Fergus to be the most unusual. Please e-mail/post in your entries by 31 December 2010. Ciao!

Ossian, Lia Fail, Blackfriar and (hopefully) Santa’s Swallie will feature at the Stockholm Beer Festival in early October this year, courtesy of our friends at Brewery International AB. First run in 1992, the Stockholm Beer Festival is now ranked as ‘the world’s largest and most important beverage festival of its kind!’. We are hoping to attend the show and are crossing our fingers for some medals this year.

Small breweries up and down the country are committed to environmental responsibility, according to the SIBA Local Brewing Industry Report 2010. Top of the list was a desire to reduce the use of energy and water. Now how much of this is an ethical approach to production and how much is an attempt to reduce costs is a moot point, but there does seem to be a genuine groundswell of support for green issues in the small brewery sector.

This is followed through with a commitment, where possible, to sourcing local ingredients and a drive to streamlining logistics and transportation. Interestingly, and despite what is maybe a perceived consumer trend, organic ingredients did not form a major part of brewers’ plans going forward.

We are pleased and proud to announce that Ossian has been crowned Champion Golden Ale of Scotland 2010 by CAMRA at the 24th Aberdeen & North East Beer Festival in early June. The honour was collected personally by Fergus and Ken. To mark the occasion, a ‘top crown’ has been produced to augment the pump clip.

Thank the Lord and pass the (low calorie) biscuits….. beer, when drunk in moderation, can help you lose weight, cut alcohol consumption, and more generally, help supplement a healthy lifestyle. So says new research released by CAMRA following on from a groundbreaking report by the Beer Academy entitled 'Beer the Natural Choice?', and authored by Isla Whitcroft, a leading health journalist. Now you know.

Our colleague and chum Graeme Hirstwood has tied the knot with his wonderful wife Sarah. The loving couple got married at Soldier’s Point just north of Sydney on 24 August 2010. Ken and Fergus were at his stag ‘do’ in Edinburgh and lived to tell the tale. Everyone at the brewery wishes Graeme and Sarah every future happiness together.

Monday, 7 June 2010

Ossian has been voted Champion Golden Beer of Scotland 2010. Beating off stiff competition from the likes of Deuchar's IPA and Pentland IPA, Ossian will now go forward to Champion Beer of Britain in August 2011.

Tuesday, 1 June 2010

Our seasonal range is about to undergo a transformation. Over the past few months we have thought long and hard about developing our range, and have listened to what our customers are saying about changing beer consumer needs. Everyone has said quality is paramount, followed by consistency and choice. We hope we have given you what you have asked for.

The launch of Inkie Pinkie in June will mark the launch of our new seasonal range which will consist of Duncan’s IPA (a 4.4% IPA available February to May inclusive), Inkie Pinkie (a 3.7% summer ale available May to September), Pundie (a 5.0% strong ale available October and November) and Santa’s Swallie (a 4.3% Christmas beer available in late November and December).

These four beers will make up our seasonal offer and will be launched with striking new pump clips designed by Flock in Edinburgh. Commenting on the changes, Fergus Clark said ‘we wanted to amend our offer to reflect the changing beer consumer. Despite some old favourites taking a rest for now, our seasonal range offers our customers and the beer drinker some truly great beers that complement our permanent range of Independence, Ossian, Thrappledouser, Lia Fail and Sunburst Pilsner’. We hope you agree with Fergus and will enjoy our new stable of seasonal beers.

We have succumbed to entering the undiscovered country of Facebook and Twitter. Follow us if you get the chance. We can’t promise earth shattering news, but there might be a few nuggets worth logging in for.

The powers that be at Heriot Watt University Students’ Union have decided to make Inveralmond beers their cask ale of choice at the Riccarton Campus. As this is the home of one of the most highly regarded brewing courses in the world, it is an honour to be able to slake the thirst of those hard-working under– and post-graduates.

It was a pleasure to welcome the Crieff Round Table to our brewery during April. They seemed to enjoy their tour, and the organiser (Richard) and his guests were very fulsome in their praise of the brewery and the beers. It was kind of them, and we hope to see them again next year. We are keen to invite groups to the brewery, so if you are interested then please get in touch.

To kick start a regular slot for general beer market information and research we look at the continued growth of ‘local’ beer in the UK. In the Society of Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) Local Brewing Industry Report 2010, the authors claim that optimism across the local brewing industry remains very much in evidence despite the general economic gloom. The chart below demonstrates that, although the rate of growth has slowed, the market for local beer is continuing to buck the trend of the general beer market. And it is not just the off-trade that is growing. Unlike the ‘big beer brands’ which have seen a dramatic swing towards off-trade and particularly multiple grocers, local beer has continued to grow in the bed rock of the beer business, the on-trade.

Work is on-going on making Santa’s Swallie available in 500ml bottles in time for Christmas 2010. We get lots of requests, from home and abroad, to make our cask products available in bottle so we shall see what the reaction is to this venture. As mentioned, it is very much work in progress at the moment as we let our customers have a look at the label to ensure that it fulfils all the mandatory legal needs in several countries around the world, and also to find out whether they like it!

This year’s Scottish Real Ale Festival once again takes place in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh. Beginning on Thursday 24 June at noon and running through to 9pm on Saturday 26 June, the festival is a showcase of all that is good in Scottish brewing. This year we are proud to announce that The Inveralmond Brewery will be the main sponsor of the festival.

Alan and Linda Campbell from Balerno in Edinburgh bought the chance to be a brewer for a day at our brewery. They were the highest bidders at Currie Rugby Club’s annual auction, and it was a pleasure to host them here at the brewery. Under the tutelage of Ken Duncan they were shown many of the crucial aspects of the brewer’s art, and also took part in many of the more mundane but equally important tasks like cask washing. There was a fair bit of quality control activity, and the day ended with the presentation of a certificate and commerative mini-cask, and an adjournment to a local pub for a pint. A job well done by Alan and Linda! They are seen here with Fergus in the brewery and at the presentation of their reward!

If you fancy a good day out and you happen to be in the Crieff area, make your way along to Braidhaugh on either Friday 11 June or Saturday 12 June for the Crieff Charity Beer Festival. Last year the organisers raised £6122 for local and national charities. With a quiz night, family fun day and lots of entertainment you can make a day of it. Oh, and beers from 9 breweries will help things go with a swing. Visit www.crieffbeerfestival.com for further details.

Perthshire RFC have organised an end of season tour to Spain and The Inveralmond Brewery is helping them on their way with some tour shirt sponsorship. The beer was also pouring at the clubs Sportsman’s Dinner and Golden Oldies tournament and hopes are high that there will be further co-operation in the future. Club President, Bob Falconer, said “it is good to be working with a local brewery. The 1st XV have had a long and reasonably successful season including losing narrowly to Melrose in the quarter final of the Scottish Cup. This tour gives them a chance to relax and enjoy themselves before beginning again in earnest at the end of the summer”.

On 14 May we celebrated becoming teenagers. It was thirteen years to the day that Fergus Clark started the first brew of The Inveralmond Brewery, and the then Lord Provost of Perth (John Culliven) conducted the official opening ceremony.

We are pleased to announce that The Inveralmond Brewery is the main sponsor of the Scottish Real Ale Festival in Edinburgh between 24th and 26th June. Come along to the Assembly Rooms and try some of the best beers Scotland has to offer!

Monday, 15 March 2010

Our beers will be featuring at the Bandstand Beer Festival in Nairn next weekend.

Last year's Beer Festival was attended by over 700 people, drawing visitors from all over the UK. This year the Festival (19 - 23 March) is going to be bigger and I expect it to attract even more people. I have attached a programme giving more information about the festival. This year we have live music, ale quiz, pool competition and opportunities to meet brewers.
This year, the Festival will also be raising funds for Cash for Kids Moray Firth Radio charity and will be widely publicised (incl. on Moray Firth Radio). We will be having a raffle, a stall selling branded products (T-shirts, glasses, bar runners, polypins etc.) all in aid of the charity.

Monday, 1 March 2010

The first brew has taken place at our new brewery. The culmination of months of hard graft, frustration and planning finally arrived in early February 2010 when Fergus and Ken set the mash tun going on a 30 bbl brew of Lia Fail. Commenting on the opening, Fergus said ‘it has been a long, hard road, but we are there. The opening of our new brewery signifies the beginning of a new chapter for The Inveralmond Brewery. That new chapter will bring new challenges, but I am sure we can go from strength to strength.’ The brewery provides three times more capacity and will help Inveralmond bring on new products to keep our customers’ needs fulfilled.

As we are sure many of you know, from March 29th – 5th April the nation’s pubs will raise a glass of real ale to toast everything brilliant about beer. People are encouraged to visit a brewery where their favourite brand is created, or go to a pub they haven’t tried before, or just try a beautiful glass of cask conditioned beer for the first time. We will be doing our wee bit to help the celebration go with a swing and hope that you can join in too. British beer in all its forms is certainly worth celebrating.

Johnny (as he is known in the brewery) is one of the newest members of the team having joined the brewery in 2008. He was born in Glasgow in 1976 and waited 15 years before having his first pint in 'some pub' in Tunbridge Wells. His favourite tipple is champagne and he is a Queen fan, especially Night at the Opera. Spending time with his partner Lynne and new-born son Alfie is important to Johnny. Lynne and Alfie were unavailable for comment at time of going to press. He would like to be a house husband and flounce around the house in marigolds and a flowery pinny listening to Freddie Mercury (have you seen the video to 'I want to break free'?) and Elvis, preparing tiger prawns and fillet steak for his family.

You may have seen or read about the Government’s concern over drinks labelling. Only 15% of beer can and bottle labels had all of what it deems to be necessary information. We are pleased to report that our labels are within this 15%. The (currently) voluntary information required is: number of UK units; a responsibility message; the Drinkaware logo; responsible drinking guidelines; a pregnancy warning. These five elements have been on our labels since 2007.

Monday, 30 November 2009

After all the trials and tribulations of the last few months, our thoughts turn to the festive period and to the launch of Santa’s Swallie for 2009. The brewery has been rejoicing in the aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg for a few weeks now, and the Head Brewer is particularly chuffed with the yuletide brew this year.

A dark copper coloured Christmas ale, Santa’s Swallie is traditionally hopped with Fuggles and a hint of the spices mentioned above. Santa’s Swallie has proved a very firm favourite with our customers over the years and, as Christmas beers become popular again, we are proud to say that it is often specifically requested weeks in advance from beer drinkers throughout the UK. We hope you enjoy this year’s Santa’s Swallie. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any comments, questions or, indeed, photos of people enjoying our beer in your pub.

After the success of last year’s quiz, here are a few more questions to get the grey matter melting. As ever, there is a great prize for the first correct entry received back here at the brewery!

Q1 In what year did Bad Manners have a hit with Special Brew?

Q2 Which of these has NOT been converted into a pub by Wetherspoons (yet)?

a) Bed shop b) Post office c) Swimming baths d) Internet cafe

Q3 What is in a Dog’s Nose cocktail?

Q4 Which of these is a commercially available UK-brewed beer brand?

a) Kilt Sniffer b) Spank Dog c) Piddle in the Wind d) Fat Tire

Q5 What was the name of the pub in Steptoe & Son?

Q6 How much was a pint of beer in 1971?

Q7 Which beer had Works Wonders as its advertising slogan?

Q8 What is cenosillicaphobia?

Q9 Which country has the most beer brands?

Q10 To the nearest hundred, how many pubs (including hotels but excluding restaurants) are there in Scotland?

The answers will appear in the next issue of Brewhouse News, due out in February 2010. If you can’t wait until then, give us a call and we will let you have a sneak peak. This is quiz is just for fun, but our decision is final in any areas of dispute!

The pace has certainly picked up at our new brewery. By the time you read this we should be ready for some test brewing and, all being well, an imminent move to the new site. The brewery itself is a sight to behold and is certainly achieving our objective of being a showpiece of brewing. We are hoping to start trade and consumer tours before too long, so look out for your invitation. We all hope you can make it along and see for yourselves the step change taking place at The Inveralmond Brewery Limited.